Chapter 21 #2
He frowned, looking hurt. “You’re not here to see me?”
She grimaced and started to shake her head, but then she stopped and said, “I’m here for the box, but maybe this is the universe’s way of helping us reconnect.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Yeah, I guess so.” Then he sucked in a sharp breath and opened the lid of the box, revealing a stack of letters. He handed her the one on top.
She scanned the address and nearly cried when she saw that it was addressed to her. But right there in her grandmother’s handwriting were the words Return to Sender. She let out a small cry of frustration before she waved the letter in the air and asked, “Why would she do this?”
“I’m sure she thought she was protecting you,” Gary said.
“When I called and asked her about it, she said that you were finally in a good place after losing both your parents, and she didn’t want anything or anyone upsetting you.
She said to wait until you started asking about me, then she’d facilitate a meeting.
But that call never came, and although I still sent letters, they always came back.
Eventually, I stopped and just saved them all for the day you finally came to find me. ”
Felicity sat back on the couch, trying and failing to process what she’d heard.
How could it be true that her grandmother had kept her father from her?
But had she? Really? Felicity had always known where he lived.
Kitty had even asked her periodically if she wanted to try to reconnect with him, but she’d always been adamant that she didn’t. Kitty was the only one she needed.
Her grandmother had respected her choices, telling her it was her decision but that it was always okay to change her mind.
But why hadn’t Kitty told her about the letters? Would that have changed things?
Felicity didn’t know. After her mother died, she’d had a rough time, and to this day if she was honest with herself, she knew she had abandonment issues.
It’s why she’d always been adamant that she didn’t want to get married.
She’d been just as adamant about not wanting to reconnect with her father.
She didn’t know what her grandmother was thinking, but one thing was for sure; Felicity was determined not to resent the one person who’d always been there for her no matter what. She assumed that Kitty did what she thought was best for her granddaughter, and that was that.
Felicity stared at the treasure box and frowned. “You didn’t need the key to open the box.”
“What?” Gary asked.
“This key is supposed to help me find something important,” she said, feeling deflated.
Had the fairies gotten it wrong? Was there another box she was supposed to find?
Her heart sank. She’d thought she was close to finding something that would help her clear up the lien on the property, but it appeared that the fairies just wanted her to reconnect with her father. Did he know something about the loan?
She looked up, about to ask Gary if he knew anything about it, when he picked up the box and turned it around, showing her a secret locked compartment.
“Does the key fit here?” he asked.
Felicity jumped to her feet, slid the key into the lock, heard it click, and then let out a squeal of excitement when the compartment opened, revealing a slip of paper.
She grabbed it and held it up so that both she and Jackson could read it.
She started to scan the text but barely got a quarter of the way through it before Jackson clutched her arm.
“That’s it,” he said. “That’s the proof you’ve been looking for.”
“Where?” she asked, still scanning the paper. “Show me where it says that loan was paid in full.”
He pointed to a stamp on the side. “It’s faded, but it has a date, a paid in full mark, and there is a raised notary stamp. Run your fingers over it right here.” He pointed to the bottom of the page.
She touched the stamp and then looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “This will hold up in court, right?”
“Absolutely.” He grinned at her. “The fairies did more than one thing right today.”
She laughed. “They sure did.”
“Does someone want to fill me in on what’s going on?” Gary asked.
Felicity held the paper up. “Did you know about a loan that grandma Kitty took out against the orchard?”
“Loan? No. I can’t even imagine her doing that,” he said.
“I couldn’t either, but it appears she did a long time ago, and the loan came due this December.
I was served with foreclosure paperwork, and since I had no knowledge of any loan, you can imagine how confusing that was.
” She waved the paper, still giddy at their find.
“This right here proves that she paid it off, and all I need to do is file it with the county to get the lien voided.”
“Wow. And it was here the entire time?” Gary glanced at the box.
“It appears so.” Felicity clutched Jackson’s arm and said, “We should get back before it gets too late.”
He nodded and then looked at Gary before glancing back at her. “Need a few minutes? I can wait in the car.”
“Yes, please,” she said.
Gary picked up the chest and handed it to Jackson. “Felicity should take this. It’s hers now.”
Felicity eyed the letters one more time and felt a pang of regret for all the years they’d lost. She knew that their relationship going forward wasn’t going to be easy, but she did send up a silent thank you to the fairies for giving her the opportunity to try to repair what had been shattered years ago.
“Can I give you a hug?” Gary asked.
Felicity blinked back tears as she nodded.
For the first time in twenty years, Felicity’s dad wrapped his arms around her and gave her a bear hug. She clung to him, holding on for a long time. Both of them were trying to make up for all the time that had passed. No matter how long they stood there, it would never be enough.
But it was a start, and that was what they both needed.